Famous Violinists of To-day and Yesterday eBook

Lipinski declined the honour of going on a concert
tour with Paganini, as he wished to return to his
home. On stopping at Trieste he heard of an old
man, over ninety years of age, who had once been a
pupil of Tartini, and sought him out in order to “get
some points” on Tartini’s style.
The old man, Doctor Mazzurana, declared himself too
old to play the violin, but suggested that if Lipinski
would play a Tartini sonata he would tell him if his
style reminded him of the great master. It did
not, but Doctor Mazzurana brought out of a cupboard
a volume of Tartini’s sonatas having letter-press
under the music, and this Lipinski was ordered to
read in a loud tone and with all possible expression.
Then he had to play the sonata, and after numerous
attempts and corrections, the old man began to applaud
his efforts. Lipinski ever afterwards profited
by these lessons.

Later on he met Paganini again at Warsaw, where they
were rivals, for the time being, and different factions
waxed warm over their respective merits. Paganini
himself, who is said to have been asked whom he considered
to be the greatest violinist, replied, with conscious
modesty, “The second greatest is certainly
Lipinski.”

Lipinski travelled throughout Europe, meeting with
great success, until in 1839 he was appointed concert-meister
at the Royal Opera in Dresden, where he remained for
many years. He also organised a string quartet,
and was considered a most excellent performer of chamber-music.
He wrote a large quantity of music for the violin,
but little of it was of a lasting quality. In
1861 he was pensioned, and retired to Urlow, near
Lemberg, where he had some property, and there he died
in December of the same year.

CHAPTER IV.

Paganini.

The name Paganini stands for the quintessence of eccentric
genius,—­one of the most remarkable types
of mankind on record. Paganini was able to excite
wonder and admiration by his marvellous technical skill,
or to sway the emotions of his hearers by his musical
genius, while his peculiar habits, eccentric doings,
and weird aspect caused the superstitious to attribute
his talent to the power of his Satanic Majesty.
Yet Paganini was not only mortal, but in many respects
a weak mortal, although the most extraordinary and
the most renowned violinist of the nineteenth century.

[Illustration: NiccoloPaganini]

Nicolo Paganini was the son of a commercial broker,
Antonio Paganini, and was born at Genoa, February
18, 1784. He was a child of nervous and delicate
constitution, and the harsh treatment accorded to him
by his father tended to accentuate and develop the
peculiarities of his character. He was a good
violinist at the age of six, and before he was eight
years of age he had outgrown, not only his father’s
instruction, but also that of one Servetto, a musician
at the theatre, and that of Costa, the director of